The Bill: Corruption.

Chapter 3: A Night in CIB HQ.

When she arrived, Claire walked straight into the building saying "Hi," to Tracy on the front desk as she passed and carried straight on up towards the governors office. She knocked on the door but there was no reply. She tried the handle and found the door was locked. She looked around her and saw Chris on the other side the room. "Chris, you haven't seen the governor by any chance have you?" Claire asked.

"Yes Sarge, he's in the residential suite," answered Chris.

"What's he doing up there?"

"I don't know Sarge."

"Thanks Chris, I'll go find out," replies Claire as she rushes up the stairs to find him.

She turns left at the top of the stairs and heads towards the residential suite. She knocks on the door and walks in. "Ahh Claire," begins Hodges, "glad you found us. I believe someone is in need of someone familiar to talk to."

"What do you mean s…" Claire begins but is cut off by Hodges as he directs her towards Johns resting form on the sofa behind him.

John smiles slightly at seeing someone familiar after spending the whole day surrounded by complete strangers in an unfamiliar place. "Are you alright," Claire asked John as she sat down beside him on the sofa.

Stephen Hodges left the room to get them all a cup of coffee. While he was gone, John explained how he woke up in the hospital with Hodges staring down at him and how he had bought him here and looked after him for the day.

Stephen came back with the coffees just as John was describing his conversation with Don Beech the night before and how they had fought over him refusing to help. By the end of his explanation John was really upset. "It's ok, it's ok," Claire tried to reassure him; "he can't hurt you here."

Claire looked to her governor for reassurance and he promised John that they'd get Don for what he had done; "With your help," he added.

"What have I got to do?" he asked.

"Just make a statement," he was told, "Just repeat what you've just said for a tape."

A silence ensues as everyone thinks what to say next. Eventually John breaks the silence by saying "If Don finds me, he'll kill me, what am I gonna do?"

"You can stay here for tonight. No one will be able to get at you." Stephen states, "Claire can you stay here with him tonight. I would stay here myself but I've got things to do and besides it'll be better if he's with someone he knows."

"Yes sir," Claire replies

The night soon draws in and Stephen Hodges and most of the other staff head home. Claire rearranges the cushions in the residential suite to make it more comfortable to sleep. John had already fallen asleep on the other sofa. Once settled Claire also drifted off into a peaceful sleep until about 1am when John woke her up with his crying. He was having a nightmare. Claire ran to his side and put her arms around him to calm him down. "What happened?" she asked.

"I…I…had a nightmare," john stuttered, "Don came here looking for me and he…he tried to k…k…kill me."

"Shh, it's ok, it's all over now, it's not real," soothed Claire.

John pulled her closer to him and sobbed. They fell back to sleep in one another's arms.